ESPN Insiders Debate Vikings’ QB Future

The Minnesota Vikings drafted J.J. McCarthy in the first round last season with the intention that they would no longer have a quarterback quandary. He got hurt and Sam Darnold took the reins. 14 wins later they had questions to answer before Darnold ultimately signed a big deal elsewhere.

This time around the Vikings committed to McCarthy out of the gate. They turned away long-term deals for other quarterbacks and were ready to roll with their young signal caller.

Now he’s hurt again and veteran Carson Wentz is 1-0 after taking over. With a couple more games expected to be on his ledger, the situation has a chance to get murkier.

What happens under center for Minnesota Vikings?

Next up for Wentz and the Vikings is a road trip to Dublin against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Wentz will be looking to best a mediocre Steelers defense, and if he can keep momentum rolling, that presents more questions once J.J. McCarthy is medically cleared. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano recently discussed how they see the situation playing out.

Three weeks in, I expected to be assessing J.J. McCarthy’s up-and-down but mostly promising 12 quarters of play. Instead, we’re left with one brilliant quarter, seven bad ones and Carson Wentz leading the Vikings to a blowout Week 3 victory after McCarthy suffered a right ankle sprain in Week 2. McCarthy could sit out the next few games, which gives Wentz a longer runway under the tutelage of QB rehab specialist Kevin O’Connell. While McCarthy’s trajectory remains Minnesota’s priority, the sheer dynamics in play over the next month promise to be interesting.

Jeremy Fowler – ESPN

Keeping a healthy McCarthy on the bench just because Wentz has the team on a roll sounds incredible to me, given that the Vikings did not pursue a fallback option for McCarthy this offseason and have consistently trumpeted their confidence in him. But I hear where you’re coming from. This is a team that won 14 games last season and believes it has a good enough roster to compete for a championship.

Dan Graziano – ESPN

Graziano’s position is not a difficult one to follow. The Vikings went all in on McCarthy this season, and there are plenty of people that believe it was the right choice. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah built a “win-now” roster around his young signal caller, and the quarterback was given the keys to drive.

The sample isn’t big enough to assess things at this point, and that’s part of the problem. McCarthy’s injuries have taken away real development time, and the Minnesota Vikings can’t definitively know what they have.

This weekend in Dublin is a big matchup for Wentz. It’s another opportunity for the veteran to show he can thrive in a competent and well-rounded system. The offensive line still won’t be completely intact, but Donovan Jackson is the only expected player to be out.

If Wentz can put up another victory, then things get interesting quickly.

Wentz has Europe trip to prove himself for MN Vikings

The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t exactly a world-beater, but they are definitely the more formidable opponent of the two that Minnesota will face overseas. It’s not as though Wentz is going up against Aaron Rodgers directly, but that’s the quarterback he must beat.

Brian Flores had his defense flying everywhere last week against the Cincinnati Bengals. He beat Rodgers and the New York Jets in London last season. The more he can get this group geared up to do that same thing, albeit with a new team, the better the offense will be positioned.

Welcome back, Carson Wentz. pic.twitter.com/bLa7PYJYqO

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 21, 2025

Should Wentz get by the Steelers then the focus will turn to the Cleveland Browns. That outfit is even further down the totem pole than Pittsburgh, and Wentz should remain under center for that contest too. Even with McCarthy making the trip to Europe, it looks like it will be Wentz through the bye.

How the veteran quarterback performs will ultimately dictate whatever decisions are to be made once the young passer is ready to roll.